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Ephraim Jacobs House Municipal Heritage Site

Twillingate, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2004/05/04

View of the front and right facades of Ephraim Jacobs House, Hart's Cove, Durrell, Twillingate, NL. Photo taken 2009. ; HFNL/Andrea O'Brien 2010
Ephraim Jacobs House, Twillingate, NL
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Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2010/03/23

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Influenced by Victorian Gothic Revival, Ephraim Jacobs House is a two-and-a-half storey, wooden house with a steep gable roof and 2 two-storey bay windows topped with pedimented roofs. It is located in Hart’s Cove, Twillingate, NL. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Ephraim Jacobs House has been designated a municipal heritage site by the Town of Twillingate due to its aesthetic and historic values.

Ephraim Jacobs House has aesthetic value as a good example of an outport home with Victorian Gothic Revival influences. This steeply pitched, gable roofed house was built by carpenter Ephraim Jacobs (and possibly his son Thomas) sometime in the late 1800s or early 1900s. The front façade is symmetrical and features a pair of two-storey, three-sided bays topped by classical, pedimented roofs. The main roof is accentuated with pronounced returns at the eaves and large cornice mouldings. Other design features include prominent raincaps above windows and doors, decorated cornerboards, mock columns at the front entrance, spindle work on the bays and brackets under the eaves and raincaps. In combination, these design elements result in a refined, elegant façade.

Ephraim Jacobs House has historic value due to its association with well-known Twillingate resident Captain Peter Troake. Following Ephraim Jacobs’ death, his son Thomas sold the house to Wilfred Troake in the late 1940s. Peter Troake purchased the house from Wilfred in 1952. Captain Peter Troake began fishing with his father at a young age and was involved in the Labrador fishery as a teenager. He served in Scotland in the Newfoundland Forestry Unit during World War II, and then returned to Newfoundland to command vessels in the annual seal hunt. But Captain Troake is best known for his years spent as master of the MV Christmas Seal, a floating tuberculosis clinic operated by the Newfoundland Tuberculosis Association. The Christmas Seal visited coastal communities around the province, providing x-ray services to test for tuberculosis. Captain Troake mastered the vessel from 1950 to 1970 and earned respect and praise for the way he treated the people he came in contact with. The Newfoundland and Labrador Lung Association notes that “he did so much more than merely navigate the ‘ship of hope.’ It was his sincere ability to communicate and reach local people that won their trust and brought them on board for the feared but vital x-rays.” From 1971 to 1979, Captain Troake commanded the International Grenfell Association’s medical ship Strathcona. A lifelong seafarer, Captain Troake was also the first president of the Canadian Marine Rescue Auxiliary. Captain Troake received many honours in recognition of his service, including the Order of Canada in 1987, an honorary doctorate from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1992 and in 1997, shortly before his death, he received The Lung Association's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Source: Town of Twillingate Regular Council Meeting Motion 04-120 May 4, 2004.

Character-Defining Elements

All those elements which represent the aesthetic value of Ephraim Jacobs House, including:
- number of storeys;
- steeply pitched gable roof;
- cornice mouldings along eaves;
- return on eaves;
- dormer placement and style;
- dormer window size and style;
- corner boards resembling columns;
- two-storey, three-sided bays;
- pedimented roof on bays;
- spindle work on the bays;
- window size, style, trim and placement;
- size, style, trim and placement of exterior doors;
- mock columns at the front entrance;
- prominent raincaps above windows and doors;
- brackets under the eaves and raincaps, and;
- dimension, location and orientation of building.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Newfoundland and Labrador

Recognition Authority

NL Municipality

Recognition Statute

Municipalities Act

Recognition Type

Municipal Heritage Building, Structure or Land

Recognition Date

2004/05/04

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Architecture and Design

Function - Category and Type

Current

Commerce / Commercial Services
Hotel, Motel or Inn

Historic

Residence
Single Dwelling

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

Ephraim Jacobs

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador
1 Springdale Street
St. John's, NL A1C 5V5

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

NL-4561

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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